The present invention relates to fishing lures and especially to the type used for spin casting, drift fishing, or trolling. More specifically, the present invention relates to fishing lures commonly referred to as "weight forward spinning lures".
Weight forward spinning lures generally comprise a combination of three separate and distinct body parts. First, a weighted body portion to aid in casting and trolling, both activities sensitive to the weight of the lure. Next, trailing the weighted body portion, a reflective or brightly colored spinning blade or a propeller-like surface is provided to rotate as the lure travels through the water. Lastly, the third and final body part consists of a hook which may be baited.
Many prior art lures have been designed to resemble bait fish or other live bait upon which game fish feed. Other lures rely upon combinations of bright colors and highly reflective surfaces, designed to spin or otherwise rotate to entice game fish to strike. The basic weight forward spinning lure is of this latter type and is designed with a keeled head to prevent line twist caused by the rotation of the lure as it moves through the water. When retrieved or when trolling, the action of the lure consists of a spinner blade which revolves about the lure's center line in a trailing fashion. Sun, penetrating the water's surface, is reflected off the face of the spinner, attracting the attention of fish. To otherwise tempt fish to strike, a single hook is provided which may be baited with nightcrawlers or other fist bait.
Conventional weight forward spinning lures tend to rise toward the surface when retrieved or when trolled. When the lure is allowed to first settle to the lake bed, then retrieved, the path of the lure is generally along the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed from the boat to the lake bed beneath the boat, then to the point where the lure came to rest. Often this path of movement is undesirable because the fish tend to school at a generally common depth so most of the lure movement along the hypotenuse path will be away from the fish. For maximum effectiveness, lures of the prior art were used in conjunction with downriggers.
A downrigger consists of a short rigid rod and reel fixed to a boat and is fashioned to receive an accompanying conventional rod and reel. A heavy finned weight is provided which may be lowered into the water at a precise depth. A fishing line is loosely attached to the finned weight along with the accompanying rod and reel so as to allow the line to trail the finned weight when trolling. Upon a strike, the fishing line detaches from the finned weight and the fish may be retrieved conventionally using the rod and reel. To reestablish the rigging, the finned weight must first be retrieved to the surface of the water whereupon the fishing line may once again be loosely connected and lure re-baited. The finned weight is then again lowered to the desired depth where upon fishing will be resumed.
The present invention is directed to solving this problem by the addition of a foil or scoop to the keeled head to allow the lure to follow a path that more closely approximates the result heretofore obtainable only through the use of a downrigger. When retrieved or trolled, the lure of the present invention travels in a plane at a constant depth in which a school of fish may be suspended. The special keeled head of the present invention is designed to work in conjunction with the scoop to provide stability, enabling the lure to maintain proper orientation under all circumstances.
The scooped lures of the prior art are manufactured generally to resemble bait fish. These lures are commonly referred to as "diving plugs". A unique characteristic of the diving plug is it's buoyancy, causing the lure to tend toward the surface when neither retrieved nor trolled. However, as the lure is forced to travel through the water, the scooped portion forces the otherwise buoyant lure to dive at a depth specified by a combination of factors. Because of the hydrodynamic forces involved, along with the buoyancy of the lure, diving plugs tend to wobble as they travel through the water. It is this wobble action along with the appearance of the lure that attracts fish.